Originally written in 1897, The War of the Worlds is one of the first alien invasion stories in the history of literature and has since become the defining classic of the genre.

Previous culture-defining adaptations include the broadcast by Orson Welles in 1938 (which terrified listeners and led to outrage as people believed it was a real news bulletin of an alien invasion!). Many will recognise the 1978 musical album adaptation of the story by Jeff Wayne, and there was a film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Cruise in 2005. Where better to have a new audio adaptation after over 100 years since its creation, than at Big Finish?

This dramatisation, adapted by Nicholas Briggs, sees Richard Armitage playing Herbert, the lead character and narrator of this epic story. He will be joined by Lucy Briggs-Owen playing his wife Amy. Further cast details are to follow.

Richard Armitage is a name that many listeners will recognise from the recent trilogy of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, directed by Peter Jackson. He first rose to prominence in the BBC television programme North and South, and has continued with great performances in Spooks, Hannibal and Robin Hood.

This is not Richard’s first time at Big Finish (previously he narrated two of our Robin Hood tales) and we are delighted to have him return for this classic adaptation.

David Richardson, the producer of this release, told us more: “Nick is such a huge fan of the original novel, and his love and passion for the material shines through on every page of the script. It’s a glorious adaptation, and we’re blessed to have such a brilliant, huge star as our lead. I’ve admired Richard for many years, and to have him back at Big Finish in this production is very special for us indeed.”

In February this year, the late Sir John Hurt starred in Big Finish’s audio production of HG Wells’ The Invisible Man. You can listen to an exclusive free extract here. Other popular HG Wells’ releases include The Shape of Things to Come starring Nicola Walker and Sam Troughton, and The Time Machine starring Ben Miles.

Keep an eye on the Big Finish website for future information on this release, and make sure you follow Big Finish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.